"I liked working every day," she says.  "I miss New York city terribly, and there's a few people like Hillary [B. Smith, Nora]...she's such a kick, that woman! You work in a place that long, you'd be crazy not to miss it."  But, says Haskell, she doesn't regret leaving.  "I made the right choice.  Soaps were always going to be my start."

To her delight, OLTL turned out to be a major personal start, too.  When Haskell's Marty left the show, she departed with her character's new hubby, Patrick (Thorsten Kaye), who now plays Patrick's brother, Ian, on PORT CHARLES.  The two started dating while still on OLTL, and they're still together.  "Things are wonderful," she gushes.  "He's a wonderful man and I've been blessed."  As for any wedding news:  Haskell's close-mouthed on the issue.  "I don't like to talk about that; that's between the two of us.  Something that special and important, you should keep it to yourself."

Soaps aren't entirely out of her future, either, says Haskell.  "Never say never.  I miss Marty -- she's still my favorite character.  But if I were to do a soap, I'd rather do the same one." Meanwhile, between her guest-star and movie roles, Haskell serves as a spokesperson for the Brain Injury Association.  "It's something that touches close to home...but we'll leave it at that."

Sidebar:  Would OLTL Bring Back Susan Haskell as Marty?
Don't hold your breath.  Haskell says she could be up for it, but personal considerations would probably come into play.  Boyfriend Thorsten Kaye returned to daytime as the brother of his one-time OLTL character on PC, which is taped on the West coast, and for Haskell to come back to Llanview as Marty, she'd have to relocate to the East Coast.   Plus, there's no real place for Marty -- she has no family in town, and her one-time tormentor, Todd, has moved on.  How do the powers-that-be feel about revisiting Marty?  A show spokesperson smiles, "There are no plans to bring back the character of Marty...but you never know!"